Prime Minister John Howard says he is sorry about the interest rate rise.

Official interest rates rose to their highest level in 10 years yesterday to 6.5 per cent.

Mr Howard has told Macquarie Radio he has taken a hammering about the Reserve Bank decision this morning.

"Sure, we've had an interest rate rise and I'm sorry about that - I regret it," he said.

"I didn't want an interest rate rise. But one has come about because the Reserve Bank, in its independent judgement, has made the call that the economy is so strong the best thing in the long-term interest of the economy is to adjust interest rates."

Since the airing of the gut-wrenching documentary Leaving Neverland, many of us have wrestled with an uncomfortable, yet essential question: given everything we know, can we continue listening to Michael Jackson's music?